Source. A newsworthy study about a genetic signature of centenarians published in Science has not stood up to scrutiny by the blogosphere and peer scientists and has now been formally retracted by the authors.

Source. Bioephemera provided an excellent overview of the ongoing appeal to the “Myriad gene patent case.” Jessica Palmer wrote: Myriad Genetics’s patents on the breast cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) were invalid because genes are unpatentable products of nature. Could Myriad Benefit If They Lose Their Case?

Photo source. As you prepare for your New Year’s celebration, here’s something to consider: researchers have found that having more friends may play a role in whether you identify yourself as a liberal or a conservative. How did they determine this?

David Reich/Nature The entire genome of the Denisovans was extracted from a tooth and finger bone. The film “Little Fockers” is coming out this week, and I look forward to brilliant performances from Robert DiNero, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand to name a few. If you will excuse my cheekiness, I thought of…

In a stunning finding, scientists found evidence in northern Spain of cannibalism by Neanderthals. Some 1,800 bone fragments were used for DNA analysis to support their hypothesis. According to The New York Times report, Spanish scientists who analyzed the bones and DNA report the gruesome answer. The victims were a dozen members of an extended…